FDA approves new birth control pill

German drugmaker Bay won clearance from the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to sell a new type of contraceptive pill called Natazia which delivers doses of its two female hormones at four times during the drug’s 28-day treatment cycle.

German drugmaker Bay won clearance from the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to sell a new type of contraceptive pill called Natazia. It delivers doses of its two female hormones at four times during the drug’s 28-day treatment cycle, the agency said in a statement.

Natazia, manufactured by Bayer, has been available in Europe since May 2009. “More than 100 million women worldwide currently use oral contraceptives,” said Scott Monroe, director of FDA’s reproductive and urologic products division.

The drug may also offer a new treatment option for women who suffer from heavy menstrual periods, Bayer said after presenting clinical trial data at the World Congress of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.